(Not Applicable)
(Not Applicable)
The present invention relates in general to prohibiting weather-related moisture from traveling rearwardly along the outside surface of a utility pipe such as a water or gas pipe, and in particular to a utility pipe encasement collar positionable immediately behind the pipe opening and integrateable with construction material there around to provide consistent weatherproofing of the pipe.
In the construction of houses, commercial buildings, and the like, various utility/plumbing pipes such as water pipes, gas pipes, drain pipes, etc., extend through the walls of the building and terminate exterior of the building so as to be accessible by a user. When exteriorly terminated, these pipes extend through insulation, between wall boards, potentially within ceiling and floor structures, and in other critical places where a dry environment is extremely important for both structural and safety considerations. The exteriorly exposed pipe ends are periodically subjected to water sources, whether from rain, snow, lawn sprinklers, vandalism, or other sources. Such water has a natural tendency to travel rearwardly on the exterior of the pipe for attempted entry into the building structure. If such water enters through the exterior building wall, it can cause substantial damage to insulation; dry wall; wood moldings; flooring and carpeting on the interior of the building.
The importance of attempting to mitigate water entry through such pipe terminations has been recognized by the building industry with various attempts being recently made to prevent such rearward water travel. One presently employed approach utilizes caulking material applied at the interface of the pipe with lathing paper disposed immediately behind the pipe outlet. Thereafter, stucco or other exterior finish material is applied over the lathing paper to be adjacent to the exposed pipe length while allowing the pipe end to be exteriorly accessible. Over time, however, such caulking can eventually crack and break, and, when this occurs, water can freely travel along the pipe surface and into the interior of the building structure.
A second common approach is individually performed at every pipe outlet at a job site and entails hand measuring and cutting of sheet metal to create flashing thereafter fitted around the pipe behind the pipe opening and nailed in place and caulked. Once again, although this approach can work initially, the caulking material eventually gives way or is not initially caulked properly allows water to travel rearwardly over the pipe surface and into the structure. In this latter situation, and depending upon pipe material and flashing material such as copper and sheet metal respectively, electrolysis can occur as an interaction of the pipe material (e.g., copper) and the flashing metal (e.g. sheet metal).
In view of the above described conditions and consequences of prior art solutions, it is apparent that a need is present for a weatherproofing solution that is not subject to installation error and lasts the life of the building structure. Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a utility (e.g., water, electrical conduit, drain and/or gas) pipe encasement device that prevents rearward water flow over the exterior surface of the pipe and into the interior of a building.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an encasement device that accommodates a range of pipe diameters while not losing effectiveness.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an encasement device whose structure is integrateable with and securable within exterior wall construction material.
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent throughout the description thereof which now follows.
The present invention comprises a utility pipe encasement collar for preventing water from weather related sources such as rain, snow and irrigation sprinklers from traveling rearwardly along the exterior surface of the utility pipe and into a building structure from which the pipe projects. In a first embodiment the collar comprises a weather proof elastomeric sheet material having an opening therethrough sized to inherently huggingly accommodate a utility pipe passed through the opening, and a generally rigid support member extending laterally from the elastomeric sheet material. The sheet material is non-limitedly exemplified by rubber and plastic film, while the support member is non-limitedly exemplified by any rigid plastic material which is preferably in the form of a sheet. In a second embodiment the collar comprises a first generally rigid weather proof sheet member having an upright generally U-shape opening therethrough and a second generally rigid weather proof sheet member having an inverted generally U-shape opening therethrough. The upright and inverted openings are alignably slidable opposite each other while the utility pipe is disposed within both U-shaped openings to thereby provide a generally perpendicular collar surrounding the pipe as formed by the sheet members.
Installation of the encasement collar of the present invention occurs prior to finishing the outside wall through which the utility pipe projects. In particular, the pipe first is conventionally secured within building framework to prohibit lateral and axial movement. Thereafter, the encasement collar is installed to be positioned as described above with the support member (first embodiment) or sheet (second embodiment) extending laterally for nail securement to any nearby building framework and for covered encasement by exterior wall finish material such as lathing paper thereafter covered with stucco, wood siding, concrete, brick, or the like. In this manner, an easily applied, permanent effective water barrier is achieved to prohibit water migration into the building structure.